Hands on: Boxee beta is brilliant, still not quite stable

Ars takes a hands-on look at the latest beta release of Boxee, a popular media …

This month Boxee announced the availability of its public beta release, a major new version of the popular media center software. The update brings significant improvements to the user experience and delivers an impressive degree of aesthetic refinement, but the program lacks stability and will need more work before it is ready to conquer the living room.

Boxee is a multimedia player application that is designed primarily to be used on home theater PC (HTPC) systems. It has a television-friendly user interface that can be seen easily from a couch and operated with either a remote control or conventional input devices. It is based on the open source XBMC media center application. One of the distinguishing features of Boxee is that it has an integrated social networking service that allows users to share what they are watching and see recommendations based on what their friends are watching. The program also has extensive support for playing audio and video content from popular streaming media Web services, including Hulu.

The latest update has elevated Boxee's status as a contender for lord of the living room, but it still falls short of making it a true set-top champion. I conducted extensive tests of the Boxee beta on my HTPC, which runs Ubuntu 9.10.

The program's user interface has undergone a significant transformation that simplifies navigation and makes Internet content easier to access. The new streamlined home screen looks much smoother and more intuitive than its predecessor. It provides direct access to Boxee's main sections—photos, movies, television shows, files, and applications—which were previously tucked away in a sidebar.

Boxee's home screen

These sections—and a number of other key features, such as the preference panel—can also be reached through a new global menu that you can invoke by hitting escape on the keyboard.

Boxee global menu

Social networking functionality is better integrated and more pervasive. Users can recommend content to other users and append a short message that their friends will see when they select the item from the recommended content stream.

A YouTube video that was recommended by Boxee's staff

One of the most compelling changes to the user interface is the new unified video library system. Instead of selecting an individual streaming video service from Boxee's applications list and then browsing through the content that is available from that specific service, you can now go to a universal video library that allows you to browse content from all services. When you select an item that you want to watch, it will let you choose whether you want to stream it from the recommended source or use another service that has it available.

Boxee's unified television library

Episodes of Stargate Atlantis, for example, can be streamed from either SyFy or Hulu. When I selected an episode, the program defaulted to SyFy as the recommended source but also gave me the option of selecting Hulu if I wanted to use that instead. Regardless of which one I select, the video is still played directly through Boxee with a consistent user interface.

Streaming a Stargate Atlantis episode from SyFy or Hulu

This approach allows Boxee to completely abstract away the content from the source and make the underlying provider a mere implementation detail. When you browse the television show library, you see a wall of images for all of the shows that are available from the services that Boxee supports. You can search them collectively and filter by genre. It seems like a real breakthrough for integration of streaming Internet media on set-top boxes. The "applications" section of the program still exists and will let you access the services individually, but the unified view is very helpful.

Using the library sidebar to filter content by genre

Although the new Boxee beta is very impressive, the program suffered from a number of technical problems, particularly a lack of stability. It often crashes when it is launched or hangs when it is being closed. On Linux, video playback is sometimes distorted or too fast, as if it is stuck in a fast forward mode. I haven't encountered these playback issues with previous versions of Boxee or with other Linux video players. A quick perusal of the forums revealed that other users are experiencing similar problems. Unsurprisingly, a conflict with PulseAudio has been identified as a possible cause.

When I tested the beta on Mac OS X, I didn't suffer any playback problems but I still experienced the same general lack of stability. An unscientific poll of Twitter indicated that I'm not the only user who is frustrated with the program's tendency to sometimes crash and freeze.

These issues are largely forgiveable for a beta, but I think it's important to note that the beta designation—which has sort of lost its meaning for many technology enthusiasts—is definitely deserved in this case.

After experiencing all of the good parts of the latest and greatest Boxee, I want to be able to say that it's the best media center application that I've ever used. Instead, I'll say that it holds the possibility of being the best if it can transcend this rough patch and deliver on its considerable potential. Given the high ambitions of its developers and their relatively strong track record so far, I'm optimistic that they can make it rock.

As some readers may already know, I've been switching between Boxee and XBMC ever since Boxee was first introduced. I've generally expressed a preference for XBMC in the past, but the Boxee beta has really won me over. If it wasn't for the current stability issues, it'd displace XBMC as the default software on my HTPC.

Boxee playing a Star Trek episode from CBS

Thinking inside the box

The Boxee team recently revealed plans to launch a Boxee-branded set-top box that was developed in partnership with network hardware manufacturer D-Link. The Boxee box is built with NVIDIA's newly-announced Tegra 2 platform, a high-end SoC with an ARM Cortex A9 processor and support for hardware decoding of high-definition digital video.

One of the most intriguing features of the product is its impressive RF remote control, which has simple navigation buttons on one side and a full qwerty thumb keyboard on the other side. Much like the Boxee's user interface, the remote exudes the cleverness of thoughtful and innovative design. The Boxee box made a big impression At CES, where a prototype was exposed to public hands-on testing for the first time.

Boxee Box Remote

The quality of the software experience will be a make-or-break factor for the Boxee box when it finally becomes available to consumers. The current beta cycle for the software will give the developers a much-needed opportunity to resolve the technical issues before they bake the program into their home theater appliance. If they can make the software as stable as it is beautiful, then the Boxee box could be a must-buy for Hulu lovers and digital video watchers. You can download the beta from the Boxee website.

It has MAJOR issues in at least some Windows installations at the moment. There's an issue during installation where it somehow manages to break something (I know, real specific there), and local videos that are divx/xvid, etc will only play back audio, the video remains black. There are a few suggested fixes (reinstalling directx seems to work for some people), and reinstalling the alpha will make it things work again, but if you're a Windows user and don't want to muck about, I'd stay FAR away from the beta right now.

so does the remote sense when the keyboard is turned over, so that you don't accidentally input keyboard keys when using the other side? Or is there some other mechanism to lock/unlock it similar to a cellphone?

I've installed it on my Win7 32bit Ult htpc, and no crashes so far, but I can't seem to add network media sources. I navigate to the folder (in this case my Windows Home Server video folder) and click "Add", but nothing happens.

Comes complete with 2 USB host ports (aka hook up external USB devices like HDDS). Has a USB connection for connecting to a laptop or PC. Includes Wireless n networking as well as 100/10 Mb Ethernet with support for playback over the network 9so, any broadcast I can get on any PC can go over the device). Works for playback and as a PVR with remote, and is bloody tiny while looking like it fits right in with my other home theater equipment.

I got mine for a little over $300 with a 1TB HDD built in. It was a nice price rather than having to buy a nice HTPC Micro ATx case, new mobo, dual core CPU, and video card supporting various HD playback options for multiple codecs. Ended up being cheaper IMO, and it works fantastically.

So my questions about Boxee are two:1. Is it intended only for use with online services, or does it support connecting to a personal server with your multimedia files on it and playing those as well? If it's the former, meh; the latter OTOH makes this interesting to me.2. Does it have or intend to have support for OTA and/or DVR capabilities? I can understand not currently having it implemented, but if it's not in the endgame for the product then (again) not interested. If I'm going to wait to watch something then I'll just get it from the usual sources and watch in higher quality than streaming will allow.

It is wholly unusable on my win7 htpc because when I mouse over it only goes 2/3 the way and then jumps onto my taskbar (which is still visible). It seems to be confused by the fact that I upped the text size to 150% without which I wouldn't be able to read this right now. Windows seems to report that the screen resolution is lower when you do that even though the actual resolution is 1080p.

I so want to use Boxee but I also like being able to read from 10' away.

The poor way in which Boxee Beta handles music was not addressed. Basic functionality such as fast forwarding or seeking through a track, queuing songs and managing playlists are all nonexistent at the moment. And those issues only scratch the surface of what is needed.

I like the direction Boxee is heading compared to XBMC but I have feeling that the team just doesn't have the resources to squash bugs and add new features in a timely manner. The added attention from the Beta may overwhelm them.

Has MAJOR issues is more like it. Almost no tv show will actually play. All of the network sites are broken. I couldnt get a single show to play on Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, FX, etc. Hulu works only if the show isnt for adults. If it is say Sons of Anarchy it wants you to login but you can't when the browser is in video mode. Also watching in Hulu means you will be watching in the default lower quality. You have no way to switch to 480p while in video mode.

Slick interface, but this version is less functional that the one prior which itself crashed occasionally. Now it is good.. for nothing honestly.

This may seem counter intuitive, and is most probably something the folks over at Union Square didn't do diligence on, but Boxee will fail for a niggling technical reason - it doesn't support hardware video codec acceleration. Despite having 4million invested in the XMBC codebase, Boxee does not, and has no plans to support hardware acceleration, for instance on the ION platform.

What this means in terms VCs can understand is: Boxee will fail a major use case; that is folks using boxee on older spare hardware, the apple tv, or a notebook for their HTC will not be able to use Boxee for highdef content, 1080p etc. Most folks don't realize this yet, but when they discover this, it'll be a deal breaker, and Boxee will never reach critical mass adoption.

Originally posted by asolipsist:This may seem counter intuitive, and is most probably something the folks over at Union Square didn't do diligence on, but Boxee will fail for a niggling technical reason - it doesn't support hardware video codec acceleration. Despite having 4million invested in the XMBC codebase, Boxee does not, and has no plans to support hardware acceleration, for instance on the ION platform.

Boxee does, in fact, have hardware-accelerated video playback. It supports DXVA on Windows and VDPAU on Linux.

Originally posted by krimhorn:So my questions about Boxee are two:1. Is it intended only for use with online services, or does it support connecting to a personal server with your multimedia files on it and playing those as well? If it's the former, meh; the latter OTOH makes this interesting to me.2. Does it have or intend to have support for OTA and/or DVR capabilities? I can understand not currently having it implemented, but if it's not in the endgame for the product then (again) not interested. If I'm going to wait to watch something then I'll just get it from the usual sources and watch in higher quality than streaming will allow.

Personal files work fine. It handles local video libraries very nicely. Although the music handling is weak, but that's well known.

I believe Boxee's slogan is "cut the cable." They're really trying to be the solution that will make you not miss the cable box, and from what I've read on the forums, they have no intention of adding DVR functionality. I applaud their effort and concept but it will definitely be an uphill battle.

However, Boxee is also using the XBMC codebase and I imagine that the XBMC DVR functionality could be leveraged. I know that XBMC can be used a MythTV frontend, so that might be possible.I'm watching 1080i live TV right now in Boxee on Vista via an HDHomerun .strm file and it works great. It works exactly like how XBMC handles it. Although I feel a little guilty watching cable using Boxee.

Haven't had any stability issues with Boxee beta on my Snow Leopard install on my MBP out over hdmi to a 64" Samsung plasma. It still has some rough areas but I've yet to see it crash. I had been using previous builds on the same machine. I wonder if having configured it before going to the beta made any difference. ::shrug::

Please forgive me if I've missed it, but it would be really good if Ars could give us some kind of detailed round-up and comparisons between all the media centre systems that are currently available (e.g. Boxee, Plex, AppleTV, XBMC, ...). We're talking "Siracusa OS X review" quality here.

Oh, and remember that people outside the US may be reading so Hulu integration etc is not the be-all and end-all (e.g. the UK equivalent being iPlayer/4OD/ITVPlayer/Demand5 integration).

Obviously, if you don't live in the US, there is no point in using Boxee. While comedy central and Southpark Studios both work fine here in Belgium, i could not get them to play in boxee. Hulu, netflix, cinemanow, amazon, ... are all non existing at this side of the ocean.

Always been intrigued by Boxee... this might get me to try it, but one of my frustrations with XBMC-based media-center software in general is that there's really no provision for a central repository for media information.

I've got a large library of ripped media on a file server and multiple HTPC's that access it for display on TV's. It's annoying that each XBMC client has to scan for new media at startup and each client so frequently winds up with different data -- different box shot icons for example. Sometimes even different names for the same content.

Originally posted by Omen_20:Has MAJOR issues is more like it. Almost no tv show will actually play. All of the network sites are broken. I couldnt get a single show to play on Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, FX, etc. Hulu works only if the show isnt for adults. If it is say Sons of Anarchy it wants you to login but you can't when the browser is in video mode. Also watching in Hulu means you will be watching in the default lower quality. You have no way to switch to 480p while in video mode.

Slick interface, but this version is less functional that the one prior which itself crashed occasionally. Now it is good.. for nothing honestly.

Originally posted by badfrog:Always been intrigued by Boxee... this might get me to try it, but one of my frustrations with XBMC-based media-center software in general is that there's really no provision for a central repository for media information.

I've got a large library of ripped media on a file server and multiple HTPC's that access it for display on TV's. It's annoying that each XBMC client has to scan for new media at startup and each client so frequently winds up with different data -- different box shot icons for example. Sometimes even different names for the same content.

Look into .nfo files. I had this same problem. Not any more. If you configure your install to use .nfo files (and then, of course, make the .nfo files) you'll have the same info across all installs.

I picked up the tiny Acer Aspire Revo 1600 and installed Windows 7 and Boxee on it and it really works like a champ after a bit of tweaking (mostly Nvidia drivers and flash 10.1 beta). Boxee is a great program but the combination of Boxee being in Beta, Flash 10.1 beta, and Nvidia's beta drivers to match you get a lot of instability. I'm sticking with it and I'm confident that all three companies will figure out the few visible bugs.

Didn't see anything about tuner support. Does this support tuners, guide, DVR either natively or via plugin yet? The frontend looks great but without tuner support I can't really consider it an alternative to plain old Windows Media Center which does support tuners and guide/dvr as well as online streaming via official and homebrew plugins.

I tried to use an earlier version a few months ago and it was near impossible to do anything with it. Several videos would not play, streaming was pretty bad, and the audio would be out of sync on WinXP SP3. I ended up taking it off and just using TVersity or plain old network shares for local files and the web interface for Netflix, Hulu, etc.

TVersity is by no means perfect (in fact on the Wii it's pretty bad - but nice on the 360), but it get the job done. The nail in the coffin for Boxee in my house was the announcement that Netflix was confirmed for the Wii.

It appears something is wrong with their beta signup:"It looks like the form "Boxee Beta Pre-Release Sign-Up" is turned off.

Try contacting the owner of the form if you think this is a mistake.Visit our help center"

I'm still trying to figure out who thought the design of the Box was a good idea...

Originally posted by aedile:Look into .nfo files. I had this same problem. Not any more. If you configure your install to use .nfo files (and then, of course, make the .nfo files) you'll have the same info across all installs.

Neglected to mention that I'd tried nfo files. These only seem to somewhat work on the windows build I'm using -- only the imdb pointer syntax appears to work. They don't seem to work at all on linux.

Originally posted by badfrog:Always been intrigued by Boxee... this might get me to try it, but one of my frustrations with XBMC-based media-center software in general is that there's really no provision for a central repository for media information.

I've got a large library of ripped media on a file server and multiple HTPC's that access it for display on TV's. It's annoying that each XBMC client has to scan for new media at startup and each client so frequently winds up with different data -- different box shot icons for example. Sometimes even different names for the same content.

Look into .nfo files. I had this same problem. Not any more. If you configure your install to use .nfo files (and then, of course, make the .nfo files) you'll have the same info across all installs.

I've got my entire library (Movies and TV) setup with NFO files that work fine with XBMC but Boxee just seems to ignore them completely. It also doesn't handle full TV paths correctly in my experience for example: /Show Name/Season x/04 - The Episode.avi

I've been using Boxee since the early alpha stages and I can safely say that I love it. I've used it both on Linux and Windows, but only on Windows recently (with the new beta). I have had no problems at all except 2 things that I got over quickly. First, the first video I tried playing after I installed the Beta I got a black screen and only audio. I forget why, but I thought maybe DirectX hadn't been installed yet so I reinstalled it and it worked fine after that. Second, my networks drives were also not being scanned for media at first. For whatever reason I just added the drives as local drives instead and it has worked great from there. I have my networked drives mapped so they pretty much act as local drives anyway, maybe that's why.

I would highly recommend trying out Boxee to anyone as a HTPC. I have ditched cable because of it. It is a great way to access all the stored content on your drives (although I agree that it sucks for music) and easily playback content online. I wouldn't recommend it for any non-techies at this point though. Not because of its runtime instability (I've had no issues) but because of its feature set instability. Things are often being added and removed and it takes someone willing to deal with that to enjoy it. I think this will settle down once it comes out of Beta or maybe even after the Boxee box is released. As an example, when the Beta first came out the TV Library (which aggregates TV content available online from Hulu, ABC, SyFy, etc) included results from Netflix. That feature has already been removed as demanded from Netflix. I think Boxee currently has a good working relationship with Netflix and they want to keep it that way. In contrast they do not have a good working relationship with Hulu (who are trying everything they can to keep people from actually watching their content) and so Boxee has provided access to Hulu content anyway in a way that Hulu cannot block without blocking access to everyone. I think they will eventually figure out how to allow people to login to Hulu to access adult shows and higher definition. They had this in the past but the Beta has removed that functionality, but they just need to re-implement it.

The biggest problem with the Boxee hardware is the looks. It won't fit into a media shelf propertly!! It's not a square/rectangle that will sit flat and blend in nicely with the rest of my equipment. Looks aren't everything, I know, but in this case it's how it physically fits into a shelf, not just now it looks. Come on, everyone else has something that sits flat generally speaking, even if it's curved or what not on the sides/edges.

Otherwise, if they add in DVD/BluRay drive and support playing all disc's this would be a killer machine!!

In many ways limitations with regards to supported video formats, is because of limitations in XBMC. The more people working to improve XBMC will result in better format support in Boxee, and other XBMC based solutions.